


Turnabout is Fair Play

by Charmkeeper



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: BUT WHOSE, Canon-Typical Violence, Happy Ending, Horror Movie Plot, M/M, OT4, there is one death, with a little twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26597110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charmkeeper/pseuds/Charmkeeper
Summary: Ardyn has had many successful kills, so he thinks that a group of lovers alone in the woods will be easy pickings. Perhaps, in truth, he's bitten off more than he can chew.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 56
Kudos: 74





	1. The Killer's Backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday and happy October everyone!
> 
> I'm excited to share this fic with you all! I've had it written for ages, but decided to save it for October spooky month. There are going to be four chapters, and one will be posted every week on Thursday until we're finished!
> 
> Please enjoy! <333

Ardyn had always had a need for blood.

He'd also always been viewed as a good child. Soft, obedient, quiet. He'd been the sort of child that parents dreamed of - good grades, never got in trouble. The only worry he ever gave them was that he wasn't very popular, but they'd had Somnus for that.

The things they'd never known about had started small. It had been bugs at first, watching their thoraxes squirm and then all at once stop. Then it had become mice, caught from the grass, with small knives stolen from the kitchen. He'd soon moved onto rabbits, at the first time he'd heard one scream, at the tender age of ten, he'd known he'd never stop.

By the age of twelve he'd moved onto cats. By fourteen he'd gotten up to dogs. After that, well, he'd stagnated for a while. There wasn't much higher you could go than cats and dogs without people noticing. At the age of seventeen he'd managed a deer once, but it was both a level of different that Ardyn hadn't cared for on top of being something he'd probably never manage again. Not without a gun.

Yes. He'd stagnated for a while.

Ardyn had met Aera in medical school. She'd been going into family medicine. He'd been going in to be a surgeon. Together, they were a match made in heaven, everyone agreed, even Ardyn could say that while love was a word he probably couldn't apply to anyone, Aera certainly calmed something for him. So did open bodies on a table.

For a while after their wedding everything had been good, fine, decent even. They'd lived busy, often separate lives, and really that suited them both fine. At least, it was fine for a while.

The truth was that he'd never remember what the argument was truly about. It didn't really matter. It had been late. He'd been tired. She'd been angry. He'd just wanted her to stop. That was all. He'd just wanted her to stop. Sticking a knife into her chest had certainly made her stop. When he looked at her face afterward, her eyes opened wide with her final moments of shock, well, Ardyn could say that was the first and only moment he'd loved her. In death. In horror. She was perfect.

He'd have left her body there to look at for days if it wouldn't have meant getting caught immediately. Instead he'd had to pack her up, carpet and all, and dispose of her. It was a clumsy disposal, he'd put her out in the woods, off the beaten path, out in the open really. Miraculously, she'd never been found. The police suspected him, of course, but her family never did. They'd loved each other so much after all, and no one could find any proof that she was dead anyway. Perhaps she'd run away. Her purse was missing, as were some of her clothes.

It was an easier story for them to swallow. She'd found someone else. She'd run off. She was still alive. Someday maybe she'd come home.

For Ardyn, police suspicion aside, life went on as normal. He went back to work and everyone consoled him over a loss that for him had been a gain. The difference was that all at once living bodies on his table weren't enough anymore. His mind wandered back to Aera and the beauty and intimacy of her death mask. He longed to see such a face again.

He took his second victim a year later. It was no one he knew, but by the end of it, he knew her soul, knew he'd owned its final moments, and felt...peace.

He'd plucked her off her jogging trail, where she went for a run every evening. She lived alone and was off on weekends. As such, by the time anyone had noticed she was actually missing...well it had rained, stormed even. It was even longer before they ever found her body. The whole thing was a local fuss for about a year, rumors that she'd been raped and tortured circulated, which simply weren't true. He got no high off of sexual assault. Only those final moments. Torture...was perhaps something for the future, because he knew he would kill again.

He started developing a routine. At first, the urge had come about every two years, and he'd started making plans a year before the expected murder. He tried not to be picky with victims, all genders, ages, races, appearances, and lifestyles had been welcome. He'd just needed to know their routines, how missed they'd be, where he could drag them off where they wouldn't be found for a while. For six years that had been fine, and he'd never been caught.

Three years ago the urge had escalated, and now he only had a year between murders. Ardyn knew it would become a problem when it started being months between murders and not years. Then someone would really notice. That was the future though, and for now, well, for now Ardyn had found himself what seemed like the ultimate prize.

Last year he'd killed a couple. He'd gotten a high from it, their shared suffering over one another, that he had not even imagined possible. He'd longed for such a high again, and went looking for good targets in a lasting relationship. He'd found something even better.

To outsiders it probably looked as thought the four boys were friends - very close knit friends. Perhaps that was even what made them quite so close. They truly did seem to be friends before lovers, their activities were primarily things like playing video games or lamenting our jobs and school, but Ardyn saw the stolen kisses and bedroom eyes that others missed. It wasn't simply that they'd paired off, no, they were all one relationship. A secret and taboo thing on at least two different levels.

If that alone hadn't been enough to lure Ardyn in there was the fact at least two of them, if not a third, were from very well off families. That alone wasn't an alluring factor, but what was an alluring factor was that rich people tended to have extraneous things. Like cabins buried deep in woods a hundred miles from home where the four of them went once a month for two or three days. It was perfect. Too perfect to resist. He'd begun preparations months ago, and now, tonight was the night. The four lovers would be here in a few hours, and he'd have days to play with them in ways he'd never been able to play with victims before.

He couldn't wait.


	2. The Cabin in the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! Welcome to the second chapter of this story!
> 
> Please enjoy. <3

Prompto was always excited when it came time for the trip to the cabin.

It wasn't his cabin, of course. Technically it wasn't even Noctis' cabin. It belonged to his father. Noctis said that his father had bought a bigger, better cabin up in the opposite direction though, and so this one was free for him to use. Because yeah. That's just what rich people did. Own multiple cabins and yachts and not even worry about monthly payments. Prompto didn't think he would ever really get used to that sort of life, no matter how much time passed, and no matter how many times one of them offered to pay his tuition for him.

(Someday, he knew he was going to go in to make a payment and find that Ignis had gotten his payment information. He knew, because the worst part about Ignis being an asshole was that Ignis was a really smart asshole.)

Other aspects of being rich aside, Prompto was perfectly content to pretend he wasn't from one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, pile into a car with his boyfriends, only to pile into a cabin they considered small (It wasn't small. It _really_ wasn't. ) to hunt whatever was in season that month.

...Speaking of. "What's in season this month?" He wasn't the one that kept up with that. That was Gladio's job.

"Firearm deer season is officially open."

"Which implies that there are other kinds of deer season."

"There are," Gladio replied with a grin, and then didn't even elaborate, the bastard. "You'll like deer season," he continued on, reaching out to ruffle Prompto's hair, which always made Prompto squawk at him. "Much easier than hare season."

Hare season had been last month. Prompto had hated it so much. They were so small! They were so fast!

"Vension is tastier too."

Ignis tutted. "I'm fairly certain I know quite a few people who would disagree with that statement."

"Not when you're making it, Specs," Noctis put in from his place in the car. He looked ready for a nap. They hadn't even left yet.

"Thank you, Noct."

"I can't wait to see what you'll do with the meat, Iggy." It was true, but then Prompto could never wait for any of Ignis' works of art.

Ignis turned his face toward him, and he got a dizzying eyeful of a rare genuine smile. "I hope it pleases you, darling."

It would. Ignis shouldn't have gone into business financial. Ignis should have been a chef, but Ignis said that what they said about doing what one loved meant they'd never work a day in their life was a lie. He would rather keep his cooking to himself and those he loved. Which included him. Prompto would never know how he'd gotten so lucky.

"Are we ready to go yet?"

Ignis sighed. "I got the cooler in. Let me get my personal bag, and then we'll be set, all right?"

"Yeah. Okay."

Ignis always brought the most stuff with him. Gladio brought the hunting supplies, but that was always the first bag in the back. It practically never changed. He also brought a bag of personal items and two books. That was it. Noctis brought a bag of clothes, a game console, and three games. One game was solo, one two player, and one four player. Aside from the phone in his pocket and the clothes on his back Prompto brought three things. They were; clothes, lube, and condoms. Prompto could and would sleep with all of them at least once before they left. It would be in between other things, but there would be sex, if he had anything at all to say about it.

Ignis was a little different, because Ignis was the cook and the planner. He didn't need to plan for things like toothbrushes and shampoo. They went up to the cabin every month, they'd simply left their little things there the first time, occasionally changed them out. No big deal. Food on the other hand had a bad habit of spoiling, and so, aside from a few long lasting things, Ignis had to decide what food they took with them. It was always a large cooler full. It took up half the back and half the time packing. Prompto would not complain though. Tasty things always came out of that cooler.

True to his word, Ignis set a small bag of personal items in the back, shut the hatch, and they began on their way. The drive down to the cabin took about two hours at any time of the day, so long as you missed the morning traffic jams. They had. It was already nearly ten.

The drive down was nearly the same every month. Gladio read from one of his philosophy books. Prompto played on his phone for an hour until Noctis woke up from his nap, and then the two of them would play I-spy until they hit the woods and practically everything was green or brown. Sometimes Ignis would even join in.

"I spy something red!"

"I do believe that would be your shirt, darling."

Gladio had snorted in the back. It didn't help that Ignis had been right.

When they hit the gravel road they slowed to a near crawl for nearly ten minutes before, finally, the cabin would come into view. It was at its most beautiful in summer, and they were now in late fall, but even so, when Ignis turned off the engine Prompto knew he was at home. This was the one place where they didn't have to hide. They could all be exactly who and what they were.

It was a sign that Ignis felt the same way when he paused to press his lips to Prompto's forehead when they met by the back of the car. "Would you kindly help me carry the cooler inside?"

"You bet!"

The cooler was heavy. Normally, Ignis would harass Gladio into carrying it, but Gladio had sneakily run off to the front porch with Noctis. They were kissing, even as they caught up. "There will be plenty of time for that later, but for now, please unlock the door!"

Prompto could hear Noctis' soft giggles as he did so, and that soft feeling settled firmly in his stomach. Yes. They were home. How sad, that they could only be home for two days a month. Maybe, maybe when he and Noctis finished college, they could move down here full time. Maybe. That'd be nice.

They banged it a little against the door-frame, but otherwise got the cooler into the kitchen unharmed. "Do you want me to help you put stuff away too?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Prompto."

"No sweat!"

They first had to check that the fridge and freezer hadn't turned off in the last month. (They hadn't.) It was Ignis who opened the cooler up, but it was Prompto who squealed. "You brought marshmallows!? And chocolate!?"

"There are graham crackers in there somewhere as well. I thought, perhaps, it would be nice to have a bonfire tomorrow evening. It'll likely be the last time we can before spring."

"Sounds great!"

"I'm glad you think so." Ignis leaned more into his space. His lips were turned up in a conspiratorial grin. "Don't tell Noct. He'll eat all the marshmallows. And the surprise on his face will be priceless."

"You got it."

"I knew I could count on you." That earned him a full mouth on mouth kiss before they quickly hid the s'mores ingredients and threw the rest of the things in their proper spots.

"I'll get your bag from the car too!" He promised as Ignis was already taking down pans for what looked like the beginnings of a stew.

"Be careful," Gladio said to him as he walked in from the front porch. "Noct's still out there."

"And?"

"And he's feeling playful."

Prompto couldn't imagine how this could possibly be a bad thing. Noctis was always playful in a video game or teasing sort of way, but in the autumn air, outside? Physically playful? Not his normal mode of playfulness. That was more Prompto's thing. Noctis didn't always have the energy for it. He'd been in a hunting accident as a child (which you would think would make him hate hunting now, but it only seemed to do the opposite) and for a long time no one had even been sure he'd walk again. By the time they'd met, Noctis had seemed fairly normal, but he was often tired. His old wound didn't usually hurt him, he said, but instead it drained him like an old phone battery. So. Well. If Noctis was feeling like a fully charged phone battery right now. That couldn't possibly be bad, right?

He wanted to get the bags inside first before he engaged in what Ignis would call "tomfoolery." He made a valiant effort. He truly did. He ignored Noctis' goading yells. He didn't even reply to them as he made his way back to the back of the car and started pulling out his and Ignis' bags. He even made it halfway back to the porch before a pinecone was launched at the back of his head, and, well, unfortunately, after that, all bets were off.

He and Noctis chased each other around the clearing, throwing pinecones and sticks, shoving leaves down each other's shirts, and just generally roughhousing until they literally ended up rolling around on the ground, pushing and shoving at each other. It became increasingly hard to keep up it up, as they were laughing so hard it was difficult to breathe, let alone fight for dominance.

They ended up, at last, with Prompto on his back and Noctis hovering over him. They were still laughing, their breaths coming in great, gasping ragged things. Noctis kissed him then, and Prompto kissed back, and soon that was a play-fight too as their mouths all but melded into one, and joy sung in Prompto's veins. He was one kiss short of a moan when Noctis finally pulled back, and then collapsed against him. "I love you, Prom."

"I love you too, Noct."

Their kissing had been heated and wanting, but now they just laid there for a bit. Noctis' weight was a comforting blanket on top of him, and Prompto's fingers gliding smoothly through Noctis' hair. When the cold of the ground at his back began to seep into his very bones, Prompto knew it was time to get up. He was gentle about it, his hand moved down to lightly push at Noctis' shoulder, and Noctis only grumbled mildly before pushing himself up, and then helping to pull Prompto up as well. "Help me bring the bags inside?"

Noctis' hands reached out to cup his cheeks, and he brought their faces together once again. There was no heat to the kisses this time. There was only soft love. "Anything for you," he breathed against them. Well, if that didn't just make his knees turn to jelly, Prompto wasn't sure what would.

Back inside the cabin, Gladio was laying on the couch, book open over his face, probably half asleep. Noctis went upstairs with bags, to put them in their separate rooms, not that any of them really spent a lot of time in their own rooms. Never did they all separate into separate beds. Never did any of them sleep alone. Never were doors closed as clothes were changed. They all fucked. They all kissed. They all knew each other more intimately than anyone thought they probably should.

Yet they had separate rooms at their vacation cabin, and gods above if they weren't going to have their separate things in those separate rooms.

Prompto found that a funny rich people thing too. When one had as many siblings as he had, one learned to abandon all the pretenses of privacy early on. All. Of. Them.

Prompto followed him up the stairs, and they silently set the bags off in their "rooms" before heading back downstairs with Noct carrying his games and system to hook up. Gladio wasn't on the couch anymore. Instead he was leaning against the doorway in the kitchen. "Stop freaking out. It'll be okay," he was saying as Prompto came up behind him.

"What's going on?"

"The gas isn't working," came Ignis' higher than normal voice from within. He wasn't quite panicking about it, but Prompto could tell he was upset.

"We'll have maintenance come out after we go back to Insomnia, okay? It'll be fixed by next month."

"And what about now?" Ignis appeared in Prompto's vision, arms crossed angrily across his chest.

"For now, that's what the fireplace is for."

Ignis sighed, his head tilting back in annoyance. When he spoke though, his voice was softer. Gladio had helped calm him a bit. "I suppose that will have to do. It was just going to be a stew."

"Stew will be just fine over an open fire." There was a short gap in the conversation before Gladio continued on. "I'll go get the fire going?" When Gladio turned, he snagged at the edge of Prompto's sleeve. It jostled the bits of dead leaves inside his sweater uncomfortably. He'd have to change soon. "Come help me."

Changing his sweater could definitely wait. "Okay."

Gladio didn't really need help building a fire. They had fire starters, a really neat old fashioned bellows, and the world's longest matches, which Prompto held onto while Gladio built the fire. He knew that really Gladio was just looking to spent a little time with him. Prompto wasn't going to call him out on it. He liked spending time with Gladio too. He didn't get to do it enough. Once upon a time they'd gone for runs together. Now at college Prompto was too far away for that.

He loved school, but he also couldn't wait to graduate, so he could be closer to his loves.

Prompto leaned his head against the stone of the mantel. Gladio was almost ready for matches, and it had only been like three minutes. "Are you sure you weren't a boy scout?"

"Everyone should know how to build a fire."

"That doesn't really answer the question, big guy."

"I wasn't. I just really enjoy camping trips."

Prompto smiled. He knew that, of course, but hearing it always made him laugh inside. "We're just lucky you compromise with us and settle for a cabin and not a tent."

"You have no idea." Prompto full on laughed just as Gladio held out his hand for the matches. He handed them over, and watched as Gladio got the fire going with just a single match. It was magic, Prompto swore. He got it going, but he still had Prompto kneel beside him and run the bellows for a bit until it got into a state that Gladio called roaring. It was an accurate term, Prompto thought, because to his ears it really did sound like it was doing exactly that.

"There. That should keep it for a while."

Prompto was barely given enough time to set the bellows back in their proper spot before Gladio had wrapped his arms around Prompto's waist and hoisted him off to the couch to watch the fire. It was all very cliche, sitting snuggled up on the couch, watching a fire in the fireplace, in their fancy, yet intimate cabin. Yes. Very cliche. Prompto loved it, even though he knew soon enough Noctis would want them to push the couch around to face the television, and soon Ignis would fill the fireplace with a pot of stew to cook. For now though, this was nice.

Prompto had no idea how long they sat there watching the fire burn before Ignis came into the room with a pot big enough to hold at least three night's worth of stew. Whether it was that big because that was how much stew Ignis had made or if it was that big because that was just the pot that could go into the fireplace Prompto didn't know. He supposed it didn't matter. The pot was set down by the hearth, and Ignis' voice broke their gentle silence. "I should put another log on soon." He was talking to himself, keeping up with the constant mental list of things he had to do, but the wood holder was empty, and both he and Gladio knew it.

"Noct!"

"What?!" Noctis returned from where Prompto knew he was setting up his console.

"Go get a couple logs from the basement. I'll go down and get more later, but Iggy needs a couple now."

Noctis' face appeared over the back of the couch, his eyes narrowed, lips in his trademark pout. "Yeah. Okay." The only reason he'd agreed was because they were cuddled up together. Prompto knew that was also the only reason Gladio had asked. Noctis' face disappeared again, and Gladio leaned down to kiss Prompto's cheek.

"Thank you, Gladio," Ignis remarked softly from where he was attaching the pot to a hook over the fireplace.

"You do enough. Let the brat do a little lifting for once."

They sat in silence for a minute or two more before a shout shattered the calm. It was Noctis'. Prompto was out of Gladio's lap, and all three of them were running for the door that led to the basement before Noctis' appeared, face flushed, eyes wide, chest heaving. "There was someone down there!"

Gladio snorted.

"I mean it!" Noctis persisted. "There was someone down there! They tried to grab me. I threw a log at them!"

"As evidenced by the fact that you're only carrying one log."

"It's not funny! I'm serious!"

"Lemme go look."

"Be careful!" Noctis called after Gladio, and that was when Prompto knew that Noctis wasn't joking in any way. He really felt that he'd seen something, or he wouldn't be worried about Gladio of all people. Gladio was the type of guy who clearly lifted, and both Ignis and Gladio were considered black belts in one form of marital arts or another. Gladio could easily defend himself, yet Noctis was worried.

"Why don't you go sit down?" He took the log from Noctis' arms, and led him away by the shoulder, leaving Ignis standing guard by the basement door. A couple minutes later Gladio reemerged with logs in his arms. Prompto noted that Ignis shut and locked the basement door.

"If you didn't wanna carry logs up the stairs, you could have just said." Gladio's voice was teasing, but Noctis wasn't up for it.

"That wasn't it! I swear there was someone there!"

"Well there isn't now." Gladio followed Ignis back off into the kitchen, and Prompto reached out to rub Noctis' arm. He was trembling.

"I'm not crazy."

"I know you're not." Prompto leaned himself against Noctis, hoping his weight would ground him a little. "Gladio's just being like that. You know." He couldn't explain it well. It wasn't that Gladio was necessarily trying to be mean. It was more that he was trying to play it off lightly. If he did that, then maybe nothing was wrong. He didn't like to make a big deal out of things until they were right in his face, because that was how Gladio dealt with things, face to face. "Gladio doesn't really think you're crazy either."

"I know," Noctis grumbled. He let his body weight sink completely into Prompto's side. Though he chuckled a little Prompto was content to let Noctis rest there until Ignis emerged from the kitchen again with mugs and a pot of what turned out to be the makings of hot chocolate to put over the fire. At that point they got up to turn the couch around and began to play video games. They switched back and forth between the games Noctis had brought with him, drank rich hot chocolate that Prompto swore up and down was the nectar of the gods, and laughed with each other until the leaves in his sweater finally began to chafe too much.

Prompto got up. "I'm going to go change my sweater. It itches."

"Okay," Gladio said absently as Noctis pulled up Rainbow Road.

"When you return I'll serve supper, and then it'll probably be time to head out."

The very mention of the stew, which had been filling the cabin with it's delicious scent for a while now, made Prompto's mouth water. "Sounds good, Iggy." He said that, but when he passed by the front door on his way to the stairs he found himself surprised by how dark it already was. He forgot sometimes, how early the darkness came in autumn and winter. He seemed to spend more of his life in spring and summer, especially since he'd met Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio. The next few months would be cold and dark, but spring would come again soon.

Prompto hopped up the stairs two at a time, and started a beeline toward "his" room only to stop dead in his tracks. All of their doors were open, which wasn't unusual. The truth was that it'd be more unusual to see one of their doors closed. No. What stopped Prompto was the fact that there was was a man standing in Ignis' room, and it wasn't Ignis.

Prompto had never seen this man before, and with the maroon hair that stuck out from beneath a hat, Prompto thought he'd remember him. Not that Prompto had any time to study him. They locked gazes for barely more than an instant before an absolutely evil grin broke out over the man's face and he charged.

Overcome with absolute terror, Prompto bolted back toward the stairs, a scream ripping its way out of his throat. His feet tangled up in each other on the landing, and he toppled down the last few stairs. Hands picked him up almost immediately, and it took every single ounce of his self control to not thrash again Gladio's hold.

In front of his eyes, Ignis was heading up the stairs. "Iggy! No! He's still up there!" This didn't stop Ignis, instead it only made Noctis follow him up, slinking like a spooked cat.

Gladio's arms tightened their hold around him, and one large thumb stroked at his cheek. "Are you okay, baby?"

No. No he wasn't. He was scared out of his fucking mind! But Gladio wasn't talking about emotionally. He'd just fallen down some stairs. "I didn't break anything." He'd probably have some bruises later though.

Gladio kissed the top of his head, and they waited for Ignis and Noctis to return. To Prompto's relief they did return a couple minutes later, their feet thundering down the stairs.

"Anything?" Gladio asked. Ignis shook his head.

"I swear there was a guy!"

"I believe you," Ignis said softly. "Noctis might have played a prank on us. For that matter you might have too, but you wouldn't have fallen down the stairs to do it. You wouldn't be terrified. No. There was someone there."

"See? I wasn't crazy!" Blindly, Ignis reached out behind him and patted the side of Noctis' face. Prompto wasn't sure if that was his way of comforting him, or his polite way of telling him to shut up.

"We locked all the windows. Those would be his only way in or out."

"What about the attic?"

"We checked that too. Noctis guarded the stairs while I searched. Nothing. He got out before we got up."

"Shit."

"What now?" Prompto was pretty sure their options were limited. It was already too dark for them to safely leave. They couldn't call anyone, even if they could get out here in time. Everything was locked now, but windows could be broken, doors could be jimmied. There was also their hunt. Did they not go out? Did they pretend there wasn't a guy stalking them out there?

"I'm sure there will be an escalation," Ignis said, confirming all of Prompto's fears. "We likely wouldn't get far in the car, if this man hasn't already completely disabled it. Calling in the cavalry is certainly out of the question. We're on our own."

"So?"

"So we play his game."

Yeah. Games. Spooky, spooky murder games. "Can we win?"

"I doubt this man knows everything about us, Prompto," as all he said before Ignis moved past them, and Gladio finally set him on his feet. Prompto supposed that was true. This man probably didn't know that they were hunters. He probably didn't know about their weapons. He probably didn't know how well they hunted together. There were four of them and one of him, and though it was already getting dark, they'd soon have moonlight to hunt by.

"We can win," Noctis mumbled, echoing Prompto's thoughts.

"We will win," Gladio grumbled more loudly.

"First, let's see if we can eat our food in peace before he makes his next move."

The answer to that turned out to be no, because the power cut out just as Ignis was removing the pot of strew from over the fire. Ignis didn't swear very often, but Prompto was pretty sure that when the room had fallen into complete darkness, he'd been extremely close to doing it.

"It could just be a fuse," Prompto suggested lightly.

"It is absolutely not just a fuse," Ignis half-snapped at him, which Prompto didn't take personally. He knew Ignis wasn't upset at him, not really. "Gladio, please go get a rifle and a flashlight."

Gladio wandered off to get the requested items without complaint. Instead it was Noctis who spoke up. "We're not going out there, are we?"

"Not all of us, no."

"Dude. Splitting up is how people die in horror movies."

"Getting locked out of the house will do it quite effectively too. Prompto and I will go check the fuse box, though I suspect he's actually just cut the wire. Noctis and Gladio will remain here, to let us back in when needed. If all goes well, I will simply shoot the bastard and we'll go on with our lives."

"That'll make a nasty police call when we're back in civilization."

"Bold of you to assume that I will call the police and not simply leave him to rot." Oh yeah. Ignis was pissed.

Gladio returned without incident, handing over not only the gun and flashlight, but a couple of fuses as well. "Just in case."

The flashlight was handed over to Prompto, and with Noctis standing right by the door to let them back in, they made their way out toward the fuse box. The forest surrounding the cabin had always been beautiful and comforting to Prompto, but now it was dark and foreboding. Who knew what lay beyond the treeline?

"Iggy?"

"Yes, Prompto?"

"If I die, I want you to know that I love you. And Noct. And Gladio."

Ignis chuckled. The sound was a little comforting. "That's very sweet, but fear not. You won't die tonight."

"You don't know that."

"Call it a hunch, darling."

The fuse box was located on the side of the house, as was the main wire. Even as they approached Prompto could see that it had been cut. It swayed in the light breeze, completely separated from everything else. He didn't comment on it, but when he looked over at Ignis, he was shaking his head ever so slightly. He'd definitely seen it too. They opened up the fuse box anyway.

After doing a once over it, Ignis briefly explained how to tell if any of the fuses had blown, which was actually really good information for possible future incidents. He'd been just about the close the box again before they made their way back when the man struck. Literally. Something hit him in the back of his head. Prompto didn't know if he'd meant for him to pass out or not, but he didn't. It wasn't hard enough for that. It was naturally a blow though, and he saw stars in front of his eyes, he keeled forward, and that was enough of an opening for the man to grab him and drag him off.

"Prompto!" He heard Ignis shout. "Brace!"

He knew what that meant, and to do it he did practically the opposite of brace, he fell limp in the man's arms. He heard the rifle go off. Above him, the man grunted in pain and there was another sound that meant the bullet had hit the man, but not fully. It was a grazing wound. That was still a shot. It was still blood on the ground. It would still slow him down.

He still had a shot at surviving. He was going to take it.


	3. The Thrill of the Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is a day late! I've been sick (I'll be fine, don't worry.) and I totally forgot to come press a couple buttons.
> 
> Please enjoy anyway. <333

The nest of lovebirds arrived at just after noon.

The first step in Ardyn's plan had been to cut off the gas. He'd done that nearly as soon as he'd arrived hours ago. Second step was to disable the car. For that he'd had to wait for longer than anticipated. He'd expected the four of them to gather their belongings and go inside. In part they did just that, they grabbed bags and a cooler and inside they went. One of the smaller ones, Noctis, he believed his name was, had decided it was also time to play though. First he chased the largest of them (Gladio? It was short for something.) When he retreated inside the house the small, bright, blond one emerged. Ardyn knew for a fact that his name was Prompto, and he knew for sure because Prompto was the outlier. He was the poor one who didn't belong.

Prompto had a smile and a face like a summer sky at noon, and Ardyn could not wait to see his features twist in terror. He could not wait to watch the life drain from his features. He would be first, because he was sure that the others saw the same things he did in him. Summer, warmth, daylight. He was going to kill them in order of affection. First sunshine there, and then his opposite, Noctis, whose face was precisely inverse - a winter sky at night. Then Gladio, he thought. The one whose name was Ignis would be last. From what he could tell, that one seemed to be little more than a servant to them. A servant they also slept with.

His thoughts were only more affirmed as he watched the two smaller men play like children in the clearing. They shrieked as they shoved leaves down each other's clothes, laughed as though there was nothing more glorious in the world. At one point Gladio appeared in the cabin's doorway, perhaps to check on them after they'd stopped making noise. At that point they'd been laying together in the leaves. Gladio had smiled, all soft love. How disgusting. He could not wait to take it all away from them.

After a little while longer of cuddling in the autumn chill the two got up and retreated inside with the remainder of the bags, and then Ardyn made his move. It was easy, and relatively quiet, to pop the hood and simply disconnect the wires to the battery. Of course that was also an easy thing to fix, but Ardyn did not count on them having time or presence of mind to check. The car would not start, and the panic they'd already be feeling by that point would deepen. He counted on their own chatter disguising the sound of him closing the hood.

No one came to the door or windows as he made his way down toward the cellar doors, and that meant Ardyn hadn't been heard.

The next steps were simply about spooking them. He did want them all riled up by the time he actually started taking them...though if it were to be Prompto who wandered down the stairs, he'd happily nab him now and let the others panic about his disappearance. He didn't anticipate it being Prompto though. Soon they'd be realizing that the gas was out. They'd be wanting a fire. He'd made sure that there wasn't much wood up there. They'd be coming down for wood. A chore. That meant it would probably be Ignis. He'd wait until they got to that point.

When someone did finally trudge on down the stairs it wasn't Ignis who wandered down the stairs for firewood. It was Noctis. Noctis would have been Ardyn's last guess, but it was an opportunity. He could switch up the order, take Noctis first. It wouldn't be that much difference.

He didn't get the chance. Noctis noticed him quickly. He'd barely picked up two logs by the time his eyes saw him. Ardyn had darted forward for him, but his intended victim cried out and then actually chucked a log at him. It missed, but only because Ardyn ducked. By the time he was able to stand up straight again, Noctis had retreated up the stairs.

Ardyn left the cellar quickly. Someone else would surely be down quickly to check it out.

The next step was to get up into the upper floor of the cabin. This required a ladder that he'd propped up on the backside of the cabin. Naturally they hadn't noticed it yet. Everything they'd done outside had been in the front. All Ardyn had to do was climb up the ladder into the bedroom and wait. Ardyn could be a very patient man. He could, and did, wait for hours. By the time anyone came upstairs it was hours later, and he'd been listening the obnoxious sounds of video games for what felt like eternity.

The one who came stomping up the stairs like a herd of elephants? Why it was Prompto himself. Perfect. He grinned, and he charged. As it turned out, the boy was too fast for him, he'd all but fallen down the stairs in a scream by the time Ardyn reached the banister and he was forced to flee out the window again. He barely managed to move the ladder out of sight before Ignis was sticking his own head out the window looking for him.

It was almost dark now, and that meant it was time to really get things going. Once he was sure that they weren't looking out windows for him anymore he made his way over to the power line. He cut it, and all the lights in the cabin instantly went out. The lovebirds inside had two options. Option one was to do nothing at all. Stay inside. Option two was to come out and inspect the fuse box. He'd give them ten minutes to decide before he started banging on doors and windows.

He hadn't even started getting antsy by the time the door opened up and Prompto and Ignis came waltzing out. They made their way over to the fuse box. They weren't stupid, Ardyn knew they had to have seen the cable swinging in the slight wind. Even with just a flashlight surely they could see it. They opened it anyway.

That was when Ardyn struck. The smaller man struggled in his arms, but he was bigger and stronger, and he was able to haul him off fairly easily.

"Prompto!" came Ignis' voice. He didn't sound nearly as afraid as he ought to. "Brace!"

In his arms, Prompto went limp, which somehow made him both heavier and harder to carry. A shot rang out at the same time that a pain exploded in his arm. He'd thought Ignis had been carrying a tool, perhaps a wrench. It was clear now that it had been a gun. He made it into the treeline before Ignis could get off another shot.

The pain stung, and he could feel the blood trickling down his arm, but he still managed to carry Prompto off. About a minute into it, Prompto actually began to speak. He wasn't actually struggling anymore. He'd gone limp and he'd stayed that way. It continued to make it harder to carry him. "You should just let me go."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," said Prompto in a petulant tone that portrayed him both as terrified and calm. It was an odd mixture, considering the predicament he was in. The terror was expected. The calm was not. "If you let me go now and start running as fast as you can, maybe you'll get away. Maybe you'll live to see morning."

Ardyn threw his head back and laughed. He couldn't help it, it was perhaps the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Oh, dear child, I don't think you realize the predicament you're in."

"No," whispered the stupid boy in his arms. "You don't know. You have no idea."

It wasn't long after that when Ardyn reached the little spot he'd set up his base in. It wasn't much. It didn't have to be. A few killing tools and a camera for their final moments. It was little more than a gap between dense spots of forest. He threw the boy against the nearest tree with enough force that he didn't immediately move to get up. It was simple to then grab a knife from his nearby kit and hover over him while he waited for those pretty blue eyes to focus on him again. He wanted to see it, after all, when they went dull and dead.

It took a moment for him to gather himself together enough to look up at him. It again shocked Ardyn to see how unafraid he looked. Did he truly think he was getting out of this? Did he not know the end was coming for him in a thousand tiny, agonizing cuts? "Last chance," Prompto said. "You won't get another one."

"You really are the dullest crayon in the box, aren't you?" Ardyn knelt down, his knife poised to stab deep into Prompto's shoulder. "You're going to die, and then all your foolish lovers will follow, one by one."

"No," said Prompto, his eyes flitting up toward the sky. "And your chance is now gone." Ardyn looked up too, wondering what he saw, but he saw nothing but the tops of trees and the moon full and bright in the sky. "I should really get back." The boy's hands fisted in his shirt, and instead of trying to shove him back, he pulled Ardyn forward so quickly that the knife slipped up and over his sweater, and their faces almost touched.

For an instant, Ardyn thought that Prompto meant to try and seduce him like the little slut that he was, but that was before he felt him _bite_. Ardyn had never been bitten by anything more than a cat before. The way he could feel his teeth slide into his skin and the subsequent burst of pain and blood caused him to jerk back without meaning to.

Prompto ran. It took Ardyn too many seconds to reign himself back under control. He'd been _shot_ , and it hadn't felt like that! The way he could feel the teeth still buried in his skin would haunt him for years. New plan. Prompto was dying last. He could watch the others die, and this time he was getting out the rope.

He gave chase. Even though the was wounded and Prompto had a head start he began to gain ground. The moonlight through the trees illuminated the ground just enough that he didn't have to worry about tripping or running into trees. All he had to do was catch the boy before he made it back inside the cabin. It would be a slow start, but then that was fine. They still weren't due back home for days. They had time.

"Guys! Guys!" The stupid boy screamed as he broke the treeline into the cabin's clearing. "I'm okay!" How happy he sounded, as though the danger had passed.

"Excellent, Prompto!" Came Ignis' equally cheery tone. Did none of them realize. "How far behind is he?"

"Only like twenty paces, so let's a go-go!"

"I'll keep him busy," he heard Gladio growl almost too softly to hear. "It'll give you three time."

He heard Noctis laughing even as he himself broke the treeline. "You really are _such_ a hair-trigger. Don't worry, we won't be far behind."

Ardyn caught a brief glimpse of the cabin porch. They had a light on it, a flashlight or emergency light that would give them just enough to see by. It wasn't really this that caught his attention. No. Two figures were on that porch. One sitting on the stairs and one standing beside him. They stared out at the treeline. They stared out at him. He knew it not because he could see their faces, but because he saw bright orbs that he could barely call eyes reflecting the moonlight. Dark figures with bright eyes. Almost like ghosts. Not at all like the humans he'd been watching all day.

He knew where Prompto was, he knew where those two were, eerie as they were. Where was their fourth man?

A snarl from his left side filled his senses, and for the first time since he'd started running after Prompto he stopped. He looked. There, not even ten feet away was a wolf. People think wolves are small things, only the size of a large husky perhaps. They are not. Wolves are large creatures, and this one threatened to dwarf even him. Its fangs were bared. It was crouched low. Ready to pounce.

"I told you to run!" Prompto jeered at him.

For the first time in perhaps his entire life, Ardyn took the advice. He turned tail and ran.

"Don't you dare finish him off until we catch up, Gladio!" Ignis called, his voice fading even as Ardyn reached the treeline again.

That was when Ardyn fully understood. He had not happened upon a nest of lovebirds. He's stumbled into a pack of wolves.

And not just any wolves. Werewolves.


	4. All's Well That Ends Well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! Here's the last chapter. Thank you all so much for coming and reading this with me! <33333 
> 
> Please enjoy.

Ignis had come to them when Noctis had been five years old.

Before he'd been introduced to the pack, the idea that a wolf could be made had never occurred to him. Noctis had always been a wolf. Gladio had always been a wolf. There were wolves and humans and the two were mostly the same, except that most months when the moon shined in the sky they became a different shape for a little while.

No one ever said anything about Ignis being made, but Noctis wasn't stupid. It was in the little things that even five year olds could notice. He didn't come from another pack. He had no parents. Under the sleeves of his shirt were fresh scars. Most of all Ignis, who was seven, knew nothing at all about being a wolf. He thought it made him a monster. He never said it, but Noctis knew. He thought it made him a monster because a monster had killed his parents. A monster had made him the same.

Ignis was cold and distant. He didn't want to play, but Noctis didn't have many other cubs to play with. Gladio was it really. Now Ignis. It had taken months of poking and prodding before Ignis had tackled him in anger. Noctis had laughed. Ignis had cried. And then they'd been inseparable. It had taken him a little longer still to warm up to Gladio, but then they were a trio, and Noctis had never been happier.

It was nearly a tradition that cubs that grew up together would eventually form a pack of their own. Very rarely did cubs go off and form packs with strange wolves, so everyone in the pack knew that someday Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis would split off from the main group. It was expected, a fact of life, and maybe even a comfort to them that they would always have each other. The fact was though that they could rely on each other as much as they wanted, but they still needed to be functioning members of normal human society.

As grade school children they'd all been home schooled. Everyone knew what happened when you set a child with a secret in front of other children. A secret got out. As they reached high school age though it was already clear to them what would happen if word of werewolves reached normal people. There was proper incentive to keep it hush hush, and it was good for them to learn to function without one another constantly there. They were sent out to three different high schools.

It was easily the most difficult time of Noctis' life. They weren't separated permanently of course, after school and weekends were free, but he'd always been able to rely on Gladio and Ignis for help during classes, relied on their company when it felt impossible, and then...suddenly they weren't there.

He'd never had to make friends before, and it was hard, harder now that all of these children were older and already had friends. The first year was impossibly hard. Balancing teachers, classes, homework, classmates, and never quite being able to be himself proved nearly impossible, and if the dark circles under Ignis' eyes, and the way Gladio's shoulder sagged were any indication, it hadn't really been any easier for them.

He met Prompto his first day of sophomore year. Prompto said they'd been in the same class last year, he'd been there, but they'd never talked. Noctis thought that if they had, his life would have been infinitely better. Prompto was bright and happy on a surface level that Noctis didn't think anyone could match. His smiles were like the sun itself. His laugh was like a summer breeze. Prompto was everything he'd never known he'd needed.

In November of that year he'd introduced them to Ignis and Gladio. They'd liked him, he could tell they'd liked him, yet when Prompto had left to go home Ignis had pulled him aside. "You cannot forget that he's human, Noct." Ignis hand and trailed along his cheek, as though this could make the blow any softer.

"We're human, most of the time."

"Yet one night a month makes us so much different. Try to not hang your heart on the moon."

It was a feat that would prove impossible. Prompto had his own family, his own pack, but human packs were weird. They only consisted of blood family. Two parents, and however many children they decided to have. Prompto's household held twelve humans total. Though that was a normal size for a wolf pack, Ignis said that was too many for a human pack. Unless that human pack had a lot of money. Prompto's did not. As time went on, it became clearer and clearer to Noctis that what money they did have didn't go into Prompto. He was always too thin. His clothes were always a little too worn. The longer they were friends the more he just wanted to hold Prompto close and never let him go back.

Ignis had told him not to hang his heart on the moon, yet Noctis found himself more and more determined to bring the "moon" to them.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come this month?"

"Yeah," Noctis mumbled from his place on the couch. He hadn't been feeling well the last couple of days. Ignis said he had a low grade fever. Gladio said he was probably just coming down with some generic crud. "It's supposed to be super cloudy anyway, right? Probably won't even change."

"Fair enough. We'll make sure you've got enough food to last you."

"Okay."

Ignis came over and made about three times as much as he'd need, and when he was done, they both said their goodbyes. "You get lots of rest, okay?" Gladio leaned down to kiss him, and Noctis squirmed.

"Gross! Don't kiss me! I'm probably contagious!"

Gladio kissed him anyway. Ignis did too, though only on the backs of his knuckles, like he was some sort of figure out of a Victorian romance. "Do feel better soon. It won't be the same without you."

They lingered just long enough for Noctis to be able to go soft at the sight of Gladio kissing Ignis' cheek and Ignis leaning into it before they left. For a while after that he slept, and then he ate some soup. After that he found himself bored, and he texted Prompto. Prompto didn't have a great phone. He had a hand-me-down from one of his older siblings that still made you press a button three times for different letters. He'd recently gotten a part time job, and apparently a new phone with a great camera was going to be his first major purchase. Noctis was not going to complain. New phone meant apps. Apps meant co-op games, and Prompto would be a great player two. For now though, texting and waiting. Prompto's texts were always worth waiting for though, they made him smile, even though he still felt like shit.

At some point though, feeling like shit began to feel like something else entirely. That wasn't a good sign, and Noctis got up to look out his window. Well damn. The clouds had decided to part after all. There went the rest of his evening. He stripped out of his clothes just before the change took over him completely, and then he jumped back up on his bed and went to sleep. It wouldn't be the worst full moon he'd ever spent.

He was woken up violently and suddenly some time later. It wasn't a good idea to suddenly wake a dog, and suddenly waking a wolf was an even worse idea, and that meant that before Noctis had processed anything he'd snapped his jaws at whatever it was that had woken him up...and sank his teeth right into Prompto's hand.

Well fuck.

"I'm sorry!" Prompto said to _him_ as though he'd just hurt him instead of the other way around. "I didn't mean to startle you, boy! You're just so pretty!" Oh shit, oh shit, he was about to cry! Noctis couldn't deal with that. He also couldn't let him get away! Not now that he'd bitten him! He had to make sure he stayed here until Ignis and Gladio got back, because he was terrible at explaining things! Especially things like _'hey, guess what, you're a werewolf now.'_

He pounced, and Prompto shrieked, just a little, before Noctis settled his full weight over Prompto's chest and just...laid there. He was definitely too heavy for Prompto to move. This would work. It would. It did. For a little while Prompto trembled, but then he seemed to realize that the wolf wasn't going to bite him again, and eventually Prompto even grew brave. Eventually Prompto started to pet him. Noctis liked that. He liked it a lot, and eventually he fell asleep again.

The next time he woke up it was because he'd started feeling the call of change again. Sometimes that didn't matter, he'd change back in the midst of sleep, that was fine, but it wasn't this time, because he was still laying on top of his friend. It would be even worse if Prompto just suddenly saw a wolf change back into his human friend, yet there was the predicament of him not wanting Prompto to run when he got up. Luckily for him, Prompto had also fallen asleep at some point, and Noctis was able to get up, slip into the bathroom, change back, and even put on clothes before he heard Prompto stirring.

"Hey, Noct," Prompto greeted him as he emerged from the bathroom. "Where have you been? I was worried about you! And there was a giant dog--"

"We're going back to sleep." Was all Noctis told Prompto before he draped himself back over Prompto. If Prompto didn't like having Noctis on top of him, well, he didn't say. Noctis felt a little smug about that.

When they finally woke up again it was to the sound of the front door opening, and Noctis knew that Ignis and Gladio had returned. Time to face the music. "Stay here a minute."

"I gotta pee," Prompto mumbled sleepily.

"Then go pee, and come back."

Prompto shuffled up to go to the bathroom, and Noctis ran off to the front door. "Heyyy, guyyys."

Instantly, Ignis' eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Noctis said quickly, just as quickly as he wilted under Ignis' scrutiny. "Except I maybe, perhaps, accidentally bit Prompto while I was a wolf." Ignis instantly covered his face with his hands. Gladio swore. Loudly. "It was an accident I swear! He's still here! I just...don't know how to explain it to him."

Ignis sighed. Noctis would say that it was exaggerated, except he was pretty sure that sigh held every single bit of frustration Ignis was feeling. "I'll do it. You two stay by the door in case he tries to run." Ignis walked off, and Gladio hit him in the shoulder.

"You shouldn't have done that. I know how you feel about Prompto. We all feel like that, but you shouldn't have."

"I'm not kidding. It really was an accident!" Noctis hunched his shoulders. "I didn't invite him over. I changed. I fell asleep. Next thing I know he's there, and I lashed out without thinking."

"No!" Prompto's voice came from the next room. "Don't get mad at the dog! He's a good boy! I promise! It's my fault!"

"You," Gladio whispered into his ear, "Are not a good boy. At all."

Despite how guilty he really had felt at that moment, Noctis hadn't been able to stop himself from laughing into his hands.

It had been years since then, and really everything had worked out. Prompto was the bit of their pack that they'd been missing. They'd separated from their childhood pack the moment Prompto had turned eighteen, and that was fine. It didn't mean a true separation. It mostly meant living separately, hunting separately at full moon. He still talked with his dad, still planned on taking over the business in a decade or so. Gladio still visited his parents and sister almost daily. Humans were the same, weren't they? They were supposed to grow up and form families of their own. It didn't mean they couldn't visit their first families. Right?

They kept telling Prompto that. "It's a choice," he kept telling them in return. "And I'm choosing what makes me happy."

Once, while out at the cabin, before the moonrise and their change, Noctis had asked. "Were you ever happy? Before the accident?"

"Only when I was with you guys," Prompto had answered back. That was enough for Noctis. Best damn accident.

In a couple more years they'd all be out of school. In a couple more years Noctis would find a way to get Prompto to move in with them. All of them. One house. One family. One pack. They'd all be happy all the time then, or as near to all the time as they could get. Once a month wasn't really enough for any of them. In its own way it was even lonelier than high school.

He was sure all of them looked forward to their trip to the cabin every month. One might say it was their escape, but in reality it was more like they went home. Going back to human society, and human school, and human jobs after just a couple days, and then not being able to be together in the way they wanted? It was terrible. It broke each of their hearts every time. _Soon_ , Noctis told himself every time. Just a couple more years and then they'd buy a house and never truly be apart again.

This month was supposed to be special, though Prompto didn't strictly know it. "He's ready for bigger prey," Gladio had told them in private the month before.

November was a deer month, and that was was going to be a big change for Prompto, who had only hunted small prey since his change. Deer weren't anything too big or too nasty for a pack of four wolves, but it was sure to be exciting. That would make Ignis really happy too. He hadn't been able to get his adrenaline thing going for a long time.

It was supposed to be nice, and then they'd had an unwelcome visitor. It was terrifying yet angering. If this man thought he was going to be the victor in this game, if he thought this was a horror movie where all the teenagers in the cabin died...well. He was living on borrowed time. Increasingly borrowed the more shit he pulled, and he was straight up dead when Ignis came back from the fuse box saying that the man had taken Prompto.

"Prompto's strong," Gladio growled, already pulling off his shirt as he made his way outside. "If he doesn't make it back on his own. Well. Moon's almost up."

They waited on the porch. Gladio was right. The pull of the moon got closer and closer. Even Prompto would be feeling it by now, but there wasn't much they could do until the change came. They wouldn't get far with human feet and noses.

Gladio was halfway changed already when Prompto came ripping through the treeline. Moments later he was followed by their would be horror movie axe murderer, who turned tail and ran the moment he saw Gladio. Noctis snorted. Wuss. Hides in basements, stows away in bedrooms, but can't even handle a little wolf chase. Who was the prey now?

"You better get going," he commented to Ignis. "Or Gladio really will have all the fun and you won't get your fix."

"My fix," Ignis huffed back at him.

"Don't even deny it. You're such an adrenaline junkie."

"We are what we are," Ignis said as he carefully folded his shirt and set it on the porch chair.

Yes. They were what they were, and they were werewolves, excited for the hunt.

It was only a few more moments before Ignis took off for the treeline, tail high in excitement. That left Prompto to him. He had to stave off his own change a bit, but that was okay. Making sure Prompto was fine was more important. He pursed his lips as he looked at Prompto, sprawled out at the bottom of the porch stairs. "You okay? He hurt you?"

"Nah. All good, boss."

Noctis smiled. "How many times do we have to tell you that alpha shit isn't a real wolf thing?" Packs, real packs, didn't work like that. Packs were family. They had jobs. They were all equally important.

"As many times as it takes for it to stop sounding cool."

Noctis snorted. "Really though?"

"I hit my head a little. I may have a small cut on my shoulder, but that's it. Swear."

"You good to hunt?"

"Oh," Prompto whispered, his voice vicious and ready for blood. "Fuck yes."

They joined the hunt two minutes later.

They could have finished the hunt within five minutes of that. They could have, but while wolves were animals that didn't much bother to prolong things, they were still werewolves, and the _were_ meant something. They had all night to hunt. They let him run. They let him think he'd escaped. It was fun. It was a little cruel. That was okay, he'd been planning to that and worse to them.

It was eventually Gladio who got tired of playing first. He nipped at the man's ankles, just a little too hard. He cried out in pain. He stumbled. He fell. Panting and exhausted, he scrambled back up against a tree, soft pleas falling from his lips. Too bad they were wolves. Wolves didn't listen to human words. Any one of them could have finished him off then, but they didn't. Noctis dropped to his belly, head on his paws. Ignis just sat. Gladio stood still. They waited. They waited for Prompto to get it.

It took a minute, but soon Prompto's excitement was at full force. Noctis could practically hear him talking in small yips. _'Oh! Oh! I get the kill! You believe in me!'_ His tail went a thousand miles a second and internally Noctis chuckled. He couldn't get like this with every prey. A deer would have already gotten away at this point. But that was fine. They'd planned on letting him have the kill for the deer anyway. Of course they were going to let him have the kill for the asshole who'd almost killed him.

Prompto bounced a couple more times, and then he went for it.

The man's scream, cut off by a gurgle of his own blood was incredibly satisfying.

And then they feasted.

When Noctis woke up much later the sun was shining, the air was cold, but the bodies around him were warm. They'd all changed back at some point, though they lay out here, on the cabin porch, naked. Noctis was pretty sure it was the cold that had woken him. He found everyone's clothes and tossed them on top of the proper body. "Come on guys. Dress. Let's get back inside." At least inside was protected from the elements, even if the gas and electric was still cut.

It took everyone a moment to build up the courage to move. Prompto whined. "I feel so bloated."

"That's because we ate too much," Gladio grumbled.

"Which is why we're supposed to have a meal before the hunt!" Ignis half snapped. "Precisely so that we don't overeat!" Not that it had been any of their fault that they hadn't been able to have their pre-hunt meal. No, the fault for that lay in the woods, dead and mostly eaten.

"I can't believe I ate a person," Prompto mumbled, his words still fuzzy with sleep. "That's so gross."

"It's not like we're going to make a habit out of it, and we were angry wolves at the time."

"Still gross. Grosser still is that it should feel worse? Than it does."

"That's because it was a good hunt, and you can't be mad about that. Just think, Prom, if you keep upping your hunting game, we'll get around to bear next year."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely."

"That sounds...so fun."

"More fun than murderer in the woods?"

"For sure."

Once they were all dressed again they piled back inside the house. They didn't go back up to their beds though. Instead they made a quick game of gathering every pillow and cushion in the cabin, piled them in front of the fire that Gladio rebuilt, and curled up in each other drifting between dozing and true sleep until their stomachs had worked through their previous meal and hunger set in again. Stew was an unconventional breakfast, but two o'clock in the afternoon was an unconventional time to eat it.

After stew, they slept again, but only for a little while because that was about the time that Prompto became hungry for something other than food. The sounds of playful sex and running water for sadly cold showers filled the rest of their afternoon. By the time the sun had set again, Noctis had joined Prompto for another small nap, and then Gladio dragged them both outside where he'd built a bonfire.

He'd just gotten his hands warm when Ignis emerged from the cabin with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, and Noctis' heart jumped in his chest because Ignis rarely ever let them have s'mores.

Noctis went to bed that night feeling fully sated in every way. In the morning, leaving was as sad as it always was. In the end, the man had ruined nothing at all.

Back in the city, Ignis made arrangements for the gas and electricity to be fixed, and when they returned to the cabin for the Cold Moon in December it was like had ever happened at all.

It wasn't until the next July, during an afternoon hike at Gladio's request that they found a rusted over pack of knives and a half rotted coil of rope. By then, it was just a reminder of a small incident that seemed like it had been years ago. Ignis took care of the man's tools. "If you find his bones out there, I'll take care of those too. Or you can leave them. If they were ever found, it'd just look like an animal attack."

"Technically, Iggy, it _was_ an animal attack," Gladio challenged.

Ignis smiled. "Technically yes. And we need not tell them any different."

They did come across the bones eventually, but they left them. Ignis was right, if they were found by human hands, no one would know anything to come back toward them. It would make local news and it would be fun to watch. They never got that joy though.

The bones were never found in their lifetime.


End file.
